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Malathion is mixed with other chemicals by ministry of health officials in the 'war' against mosquitoes.
Malathion is mixed with other chemicals by ministry of health officials in the ‘war’ against mosquitoes.

The Ministry of Education has finally taken the decision to relocate pupils of the Grazettes Primary School. Why the matter to relocate took several days after the revelation by the ministry of health that several chemicals were mixed including MALATHION is surprising. Further – the fact there has been no hue and cry, although not surprising given the docile DNA of the average Barbadian, is still disappointing.

The Malathion Fact Sheet makes for interesting reading about the organophosphate insecticide MALATHION. Obviously the ministry of health has a job to do to rid the landscape of nettlesome insects. Given the rising prevalence of Chikungunya  and Dengue in Barbados BU is sympathetic to the work the ministry of health has to do. BUT, the ministry has a responsibility to also protect public health.  How dangerous chemicals are used to achieve the intended purpose in environs children have to populate demands a high level of responsibility.

Here is an extract from the Malathion Fact Sheet:

Exposure due to drift and overspray can also be problematic, as is well illustrated by several examples. A homeowner adjacent to a school in Arizona sprayed his garden with malathion. The spray drifted into the school ventilation system and caused nearly 300 elementary school children to be hospitalized with headaches, nausea, and breathing difficulties.(7)

See relevant link: Malathion Fact Sheet posted by Georgie Porgie

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55 responses to “Malathion Insecticide Used by Ministry of Health Officials Maybe Killing Our Children”

  1. Malathion Insecticide Used by Ministry of Health Officials Maybe Killing Our Children – Vibe Audio StationVibe Audio Station

    […] Malathion Insecticide Used by Ministry of Health Officials Maybe Killing Our Children […]

  2. G Man Avatar
    G Man

    Careless strong headed idiots in charge.. Just like allowing the Nigerian students into Barbados. Spain and US and Nigeria cant stop the spread yet a greedy Barbadian woman want to allow the Nigerians in.

  3. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    I read the fact sheet posted by GP and I am truly amazed that this chemical can cause so many health problems. There were at least 100 different reasons why Malathion should not be used. However, the one that most concerns me is “testicular atrophy”. I say ban the damn thing. I now see why Bajan men seem to have no balls. LOL!

  4. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    And Caswell it right at the top in Bay Street!

  5. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    Someone in another thread strongly believes that the ebola is a white man thing to kill out black people.
    …………………………………………………
    Meanwhile our Black Minister of Education, and our 100% Black Ministry of Education Staff and our Black Minister of Health and our 100% Black Ministry of Health Staff has started the slow demise of our people and not sparing our children, by spraying our schools and communities with a deadly cocktail of Malathion and other chemicals which they have yet to disclose.
    But we can always blame the whiteman, as he is the manufacturer, exporter and importer of Malathion, and ask for reparation later.

  6. whitehill Avatar
    whitehill

    @ Caswell…now I see why according to a piece in the Nation news some bajan women prefer to go to the dogs, the men have ingested way too much malathion.

  7. Malathion Insecticide Used by Ministry of Health Officials Maybe Killing Our Children – Black Caribbean On-LineBlack Caribbean On-Line

    […] David The Ministry of Education has finally taken the decision to relocate pupils of the Grazettes […]

  8. millertheanunnaki Avatar
    millertheanunnaki

    What do we expect when we recklessly use dangerous chemicals that eventually end up in the soil, our vital underground water supply and coral reefs?
    What do we expect when we stupidly kill off through the indiscriminate use of dangerous chemicals those beneficial insects and reptiles that used to perform the balancing role of natural population control agents of mosquitoes, flies and other pests?
    What do we expect when we kill off the bees, the birds, the pond flies, the lizards and frogs?

    The explosion of the mosquito population and other pests that could threaten the health of humans has a lot to do not only with our unsanitary and throwaway container modern lifestyle but also on an overly excessive dependence on chemicals in our daily living habits which are having deleterious effects on other important life forms that form the cycle of life on Mother Earth; with pollutants from the burning of fossil fuels being a very big player in this game of human self-destruction.
    Even the fish are suffering from the effects of biological mutation caused by excesses of man-made estrogen in the rivers and waterways.

    Maybe the little mosquito acting like a drone along with the invisible viruses as the loaded weapons is Mother Nature’s method of shedding some of the parasitic weight of the 7 billion and growing human population.

    Mother Nature has culled in the past to allow the planet to breathe a bout of relief from human exploitation and to give a ray of hope for a brighter future in human spiritual growth and social development.
    Is the human race in the face of global warming (climate change) about to go through another period of culling as took place in the so-called Middle Ages of plague after plague to control an excess agrarian population of Malthusian apocalyptic proportions?

    Would religion or science be the guiding light to a pathway of solutions towards a brave new world?

    “O wonder!
    How many goodly creatures are there here!
    How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
    That has such people in’t.”
    —William Shakespeare,The Tempest, Act V, Scene I.

  9. David Avatar
    David

    Have a listen to a group of health inspectors who appeared on last Sunday’s talk show. At a point one health inspector admitted the MoH is responsible for mixing Malathion with other chemicals. One has to believe the MoH officials sought professional advice on the inhouse concoction before releasing on an undiscerning pubic. Have a listen:

    1.  http://vob929.ocmnet.net/Files/Files14/Brasstax/Oct/BrasstaxOct12-1.mp3
    2. http://vob929.ocmnet.net/Files/Files14/Brasstax/Oct/BrasstaxOct12-2.mp3
  10. David Avatar
    David

    Residents concerned about overgrown bush

    Residents of Syndicate Road and Richard’s Land, Bush Hall, St Michael, are calling on Government to assist them in debushing areas in these two districts.Following a report from a concerned resident who claimed that several members of the two communities had fallen…

  11. David Avatar
    David

    Pest cases

    The war on the deadly Aedes aegypti mosquito is heading to court.

  12. Crusoe Avatar
    Crusoe

    Weed killers, should ALL be banned. These things kill weeds and bush in just a day or three., What do people think it does to the soil and groundwater?

    Why do you think California has banned most of this crap?

  13. Vincent Haynes Avatar
    Vincent Haynes

    This is Bim we know what is wrong,but once the merchants make their profit,it becomes right.
    IPM(Integrated pest management) has been suggested for decades to deal with insects harmfull to to specific crops,alternate methods for weed control has also been suggested ad nauseam……we like it so.

  14. Ping Pong Avatar
    Ping Pong

    It is noted in the fact sheet that “A nationwide study of flour mill employees found a significant excess risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma among employees of flour mills.(34) The risk rose with increased duration of work. Malathion is commonly used in flour mills for insect control.The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has studied the carcinogenicity of malathion and malaoxon in rats and mice.”

    Some years ago, a relative who we (the Ping Pong family) regard as a bit of a wacko, told me that consuming flour was potentially harmful because of the chemicals used to control insects in the flour mill. These chemicals, he asserted, persist in the flour even after further processing. I dismissed my relative as being overly dramatic and enthusiastic in his attempts to reduce the family’s intake of bread. I now wonder if maybe he was right!

  15. John Hanson 1781-1782 Avatar
    John Hanson 1781-1782

  16. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    Here is my questions: Do health officials know about the dangers associated with the use of this product? And if they know, why is it allowed into Barbados for use?

  17. John Hanson 1781-1782 Avatar
    John Hanson 1781-1782

    Sunshine Sunny Shine | October 14, 2014 at 8:07 AM

    They behave the same way as they did when AIDS was first put out by the Americans.
    All info does not come out with not come out with one voice , and many wholes in each statements in the NEWS. Like Barbados people on the street run talking wrong and infect the fools with wrong answers ,
    Any thing and any bad NEWS to take your minds of the reasons of the Barbados plight in the war on fraud with the two dlp , blp parties

  18. islandgal246 Avatar
    islandgal246

    You would think that people who are in charge of the island’s health will be up to date with the type of chemicals they are using on this island. Our water is already contaminated, our air is contaminated and our soil is contaminated because of lazy good for nothing officials who only care about getting a salary at month’s end. The international community will soon condemn Barbados because of failure to change direction in all aspects in the way we govern ourselves. There should be massive infomercials on the TV educating Barbadians about the indiscriminate use of pesticides and herbicides. It is very sad when officials in the agriculture ministry cannot and will not see the correlation between chemical use and the absence of beneficial insects, birds and animals. Beneficial insects that eat mosquitoes and mosquito larvae are damsel flies, dragon flies, humming birds, fish, tadpoles. What a waste of taxpayer’s money sending these people to school. For a little island like Barbados where we cannot even make a decision based on factual evidence says everything about us.

  19. islandgal246 Avatar
    islandgal246

    When the bees disappear we will be next !

  20. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    @ David et al

    People still keep looking to regulators. The problem with them is that they are generally captured by the industry they are supposed to be overseeing.

  21. Due Diligence Avatar
    Due Diligence

    IG264

    Unfortunately it will not make the Dees and Bees disappear

  22. Sunshine Sunny Shine Avatar
    Sunshine Sunny Shine

    My second question: If the health authorities are aware of the dangers of this chemical and those in the fogging exercises have been using it extensively as a mix in their fogging chemical than the government has been contaminating the populace for years. This means that any out of the blue health problems could be easily linked to this chemical. The government could easily find themselves face with a serious law suit – not that they got anything to worry about with the way the justice system is tailored to protect them..

    It also begs to differ that if the health authorities were not aware of the dangers of this chemical, then incompetency, the likes of which speaks to high level of complacency exist at our health ministry and protective agencies. A thorough review of what we do in the these ministry should be considered at this time.

  23. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    The big issue was, as the author of the previous BU article on this issue pointed out, that it seems that the Health Officials seemed to have used too high concentrations of malathion at Grazettes Primary school, and its environs.

    Another issue is should we be using insecticides and pesticides at all.
    What did we do before the advent of insecticides and pesticides ? Perhaps Colonel Buggy &/or Vincent Haynes can enlighten us on this matter.

    Another issue is ” should the Health Officials tell the people of Barbados what chemicals they are using to fog, and what concentrations are being used.”

  24. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    for the benefit of Brief, Pat and Crusoe, who are keen and able to understand science , I will post some facts about Poisoning with Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors Organophosphate Insecticides organophosphorous pesticides

    The transmission of nerve impulses across synapses and the junctions between nerve and an effector organ (gland, muscle, nerve) is accomplished by the release of a chemical agent, acetylcholine.

    If actions within the central nervous system and at peripheral nerve terminations are to be kept localized and capable of repetition, acetylcholine must be destroyed or inactivated at or near the site of its release, and with great speed. The destruction of acetylcholine at such sites is accomplished by an enzyme, acetylcholinesterase.

    Present at the neurosynaptic junctions, acetylcholinesterase breaks acetylcholine into acetyl and choline fragments. Acetylcholinesterase functions to increase the precision of nerve firing, enabling some nerve cells to fire as rapidly as 1,000 times per second without overlap of the neural impulses

    What are we saying here
    1 when you fire a nerve a substance called acetylcholine. is released at the nerve ending.
    2 this acetylcholine .travels across the space between nerve or and an effector organ (gland, muscle, nerve) so as to get the effector organ to do its job
    3 having done its job the acetylcholine must quickly be destroyed or inactivated at or near the site of its release, or the amount of acetyl choline will build up and cause problems.
    4 The destruction of acetylcholine at such sites is accomplished by an enzyme, acetylcholinesterase.
    5 many pesticides and insecticides like Malathion will stop acetylcholinesterase. from working —hence they are called Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors
    6 those drugs which block the activity of acetylcholinesterase by forming covalent chemical bonds through a process called phosphorylation.
    are called Organophosphate Insecticides or organophosphorous pesticides

    Organophosphorus compounds differ from one another in many important respects, although chemically, all can be considered to be derivatives of phosphoric or thiophosphoric acids.

    They differ widely in inherent toxicity and in their ability to penetrate the skin. Some are extremely dangerous by both oral and dermal routes e.g grammoxone.

    Some organophosphates act directly while others require activation by enzymes within the body. Some are destroyed and eliminated more rapidly than others. Also, they differ with respect to the manner of their reaction with the cholinesterase enzyme.

    Spontaneous enzymatic regeneration half-lifes may take days to months long. that means that these agents bind so strongly to the cholinesterases that it can take up to days or months to get rid of them

    the degree of toxicity or danger depends on the nature of the organophosphate involved, the dose received and the duration of exposure because these parameters affect the degree of binding to the cholinesterase and therefore the period for regeneration to occur.

    Because of the prolonged regeneration half-lives, (the time required for half of the cholinesterase to reactivate), organophosphate intoxication is usually considered serious

  25. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ GEORGIE PORGIE,

    WE COULD LEARN A LOT FROM THE CUBANS.

  26. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    Georgie Porgie

    I appreciate your learned comment about the way how Malathion poisoning works, but I am more concerned about the testicular atrophy. I am hoping that my nuts are not wasting away as a result of ingesting malathion over the years.

    I now really understand what they mean when they say that a little learning is a dangerous thing. Since I have read GP’s post on that condition, I have been doing some self examinations. Unfortunately, I can’t remember if they were ever bigger.

    >

  27. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    Caswell Franklyn | October 14, 2014 at 12:45 PM |
    RE Unfortunately, I can’t remember if they were ever bigger.
    FOR YOUR SAKE I HOPE THAT THEY ARE NOT BIGGER!

    WITH RESPECT TO TESTICULAR ATROPHY, I RECALL ONE DAY LECTURING ON THE SUBJECT AND BRINGING UP THREE SLIDES IN SUCCESSION THE FIRST WAS THE NORMAL THE OTHER TWO WERE ABNORMAL

    AS I PROJECTED THEM I SAID THIS IS NORMAL, THAT IS LSW
    NEXT THAT IS ATROPHY THAT IS JONES
    NEXT THAT IS ATROPHY THAT IS SMITH
    AS YOU WOULD EXPECT THERE WERE PEALS OF LAUGHTER! WHICH WAS THE INTENTION

  28. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    With the exception of echothiophate, all of the organophosphates acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are highly lipid soluble. ….so they are easily absorbed via the skin, SO ONE MUST BE CAREFUL WHEN SPRAYING WITH THESE AGENTS………BE SURE NOT TO SPRAY INTO THE WIND AND BE SURE TO REMOVE CLOTHES AND BATHE ASAP AFTER SPRAYING.

    These compounds form a covalent phosphate ester bond with the esteratic site of AChE that is extremely stable and requires days for spontaneous hydrolysis – consequently, the actions of these agents are effectively irreversible.
    Deacylation (dephosphorylations) reactions may occur very slowly, thus effective inhibiting enzyme activity for long periods.

    Pharmacological properties that result in symptoms of these pesticides are
    • They are irreversible inhibitors AchE
    • They cause accumulation of Ach
    • Phosphorylated AchE is extremely stable
    • They are highly lipid soluble
    They are effectively absorbed from all routes
    • Endogenous Ach stimulates all cholinergic receptors; both peripherally, and in the CNS
    • The effects of AChE inhibitors include:
    • Increased skeletal muscle activity (fasciculations can be produced by low levels of AChE inhibitors.
    • High levels of AChE inhibitors can cause neuromuscular blockade.
    • Initially this is due to the persistent depolarization of the muscle. Latter there is desensitization of NM receptors.
    • Increased activation of organs and tissues innervated by postganglionic parasympathetic fibers i.e. exocrine glands, smooth muscle, heart, lung, etc.
    • As noted previously for ACh, cardiovascular changes can be complex and depend on the level of inhibition, the involvement of reflexes, etc.
    • Increased ganglionic transmission (these effects are less than those at neuromuscular junctions).

    • Since acetylcholinesterases are located at all post-synaptic cholinergic membranes, inhibition of acetylcholinesterase with subsequent acetylcholine accumulation causes:
    – enhanced muscarinic responses at parasympathetic effector sites.
    – nicotinic receptor stimulation and then paralysis (depolarization block) at autonomic ganglia and skeletal muscle.
    – CNS cholinergic neuronal stimulation

    IN OTHER WORDS THESE AGENTS KNOCK OUT MOST OF THE NERVES OF THE BODY

    THESE AGENTS ARE GOOD FOR KILLING PESTS AND INSECTS AND WEEDS

    BUT I N DOING SO THEY CAN HARM HUMANS

    BUT FOR 30-40 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN SPRAYING WITH THESE AGENTS BOTH IN THE HOME AND IN THE GARDEN WITHOUT KNOWING THE DANGERS

    AS A RESULT EVEN FRANKLIN HAS FOUND THAT HIS BALLS ARE REDUCED IN SIZE AND FUNCTION LOL

  29. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    GEORGIE PORGIE wrote “BUT FOR 30-40 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN SPRAYING WITH THESE AGENTS BOTH IN THE HOME AND IN THE GARDEN WITHOUT KNOWING THE DANGERS.

    MOST OF US IGNORE DANGERS THAT TAKE A LONG TIME TO AFFECT US.

    WE WOULD NOT TOUCH A GREEN MANCHINEEL BERRY OR LEAF.

  30. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    • The symptoms of poisoning by long acting acetylcholinesterases will include the following =>
    • Nicotinic Effects
    • weakness
    • fasciculations
    • flaccid paralysis
    • muscle twitching
    • Respiratory failure can also occur as a blockage of small bronchi may result.
    • Muscarinic Effects
    • nausea
    • blurring of vision – miosis
    • vomiting
    • pain in chest- bradycardia –dyspnea– hypotension
    • involuntary defecation and urination
    • salivation
    • diarrhea
    • lacrimation
    • sweating
    • excessive bronchial secretions/ brochoconstriction
    • death
    • Cholinesterase surveillance
    • Workers occupationally exposed to organophosphate pesticides should be offered an initial pre-employment cholinesterase determination (base-line value) followed by subsequent cholinesterase testing on a regular basis (usually monthly).
    • The laboratory method should be one that provides both red blood cell and plasma values. Red blood cell values are more informative of exposure than are plasma and workers should be withdrawn from exposure when exhibiting greater than 50% inhibition..
    • There is considerable variation in the normal activity of the cholinesterase enzymes from individual to individual. Therefore, for cholinesterase measurement to be maximally useful, the applicator must have a pre-season or pre-exposure measurement (base-line value) to which his later values can be compared.
    • Many methods of measuring cholinesterase activity are available. Most depend upon the release of acid when acetylcholine or other choline ester is hydrolyzed. Because measurement techniques vary among laboratories, more accurate estimates of normal values are usually provided by the individual.

  31. St George's Dragon Avatar
    St George’s Dragon

    I have said for years that the whole concept of fogging is mad. Mix up insecticide with diesel and spray it into the air while instructing people to open all their windows. Are they serious?

  32. David Avatar
    David

    Curiosity then begs the question, are we not to give our public health officials any credit regarding safety measures guiding their fogging concoction? They have used the concoction to fog the whole of Barbados for decades.

  33. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    THE CONCENTRATIONS OF ORGANOPHOSPHATES USED ARE PROBABLY LOW……….BUT THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON, AND PERHAPS THEY NEED TO BE DISCUSSION ABOUT POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES

    HOW MANY FARMERS KNOW THE POTENTIAL DANGERS OF THE STUFF THEY SPRAY WITH, OR THAT THE STUFF CAN EASILY BE ABSORBED VIA THE SKIN FROM THEIR WET TOXIN CONTAMINATED CLOTHING

  34. David Avatar
    David

    Bloggers have questioned the use of Malathion going back to 2008:

    Following is the second of the two-part piece on the subject by Peter Roderick, writing in the Antigua Sun.

    If you omitted to read the first part of the article and clicked straight to this one, you may be interested in backtracking to Part 1after which you can come right back here to complete your read.

    __________

    Malathion fogging has been causing controversy…for years.  I did some research…and discovered that there are two very different points of view on the matter.  Through it all, I came to certain conclusions which appear not to be in dispute.

    Malathion is classified as an organophosphate insecticide. It is the most widely used organophosphate insecticide in the United States.

    The people who manufacture malathion normally sell their product in a very pure state when it leaves the factory.  It should contain less than five per cent of impurities.  Pure malathion is said to have a relatively low toxicity to humans.  We have the manufacturers’ solemn promise that their product will not harm us when used according to their instructions.  What instructions?  Here’s a sample –

    http://woodshedenvironment.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/vox-pop-dengue-fogging-with-malathion-how-safe-is-it-part-ii/

  35. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    THESE TWO ARTICLES SHOULD BE ARCHIVED ON BU SOMEWHERE AND NOT MERELY AS LINKS
    FOLK NEED TO READ THIS STUFF

    BEFORE THE USE OF ORGANOPHOSPHATES WE USED PREVENTION MOST EFFICIENTLY.

    THE FIRST TIME I EVER HEARD OF DENGUE WAS IN 1975 WHEN I WAS A STUDENT IN JAMAICA
    I DONT THINK WE HAD IT IN BIM BEFORE 1977

    NOW WE KNOW HOW GOOD THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT USED TO BE UNDER SIR MAURICE BYER DR VAUGH WELLS ETC

  36. Crusoe Avatar
    Crusoe

    @ Georgie Porgie,

    A most interesting read, thank you.

    Scary too what we are doing to ourselves, with Roundup, Gramoxone etc.

  37. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    re They have used the concoction to fog the whole of Barbados for decades.
    QUESTION? HOW MUCH CANCER HAS BEEN CAUSED THEREBY?
    RECALL THE KNUDSON HYPOTHESIS

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knudson_hypothesis
    https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=KNOBSON%20TWO%20HIT%20HYPOTHESIS

    cOULD THIS HYPOTHESIS PERTAIN TO OTHER CANCERS WE ARE SEEING IN BIM IN THE LAST 30-40 YEARS?
    COULD ORGANOPHOSPHATES BE IMPLICATED?
    CERTAINLY FOOD FOR THOUGHT

  38. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    Sometime back in the early ’50’s National Geographic on a visit to Barbados described it as a “country without weeds”
    Weeds were mainly controlled by manual weeding,and some of the weeds were also put to practical uses as ‘rabbit meat’,and feed for some other livestock. I cannot recall any individual , or plantation ,using a herbicide to control weeds. Following the widespread use of herbicides such as Grammoxone and Roundup, which appear to get rid of weeds for a length of time ,when these weeds do resurface in the same location , they come back with a vengeance , requiring a much stronger dose of the herbicide to control them.
    The only two pesticides that were in regular use ,mainly by vegetable gardeners , years ago ,were DDT ,which was later banned,in preference to those we know today. Another pesticide,a dust, was used to control the Mealy Bug. In the household, there were no Pesticides as we know them today. Household pests, ie cock roaches and centipedes were treated to a spray mist of kerosene oil, from what was known as a ‘Flit” can,some of which are still available in some other Caribbean Countries. This flit can was also used on evenings to spray around the home ,against mosquitos. The first mosquitos that I have ever seen, were in the mid ’60’s at Weymouth in Roebuck Street. Back in the country areas , house owners planted certain shrubs and trees around their homes which drove the mosquito away. Maybe the best known is the Sour Sop leaves. There is also, the White Sage brush, which is virtually extinct in Barbados. Today Termites is a devil to home owners. In the plantation tenantries, houses were located next to cane fields, and I cannot recall a case of a home falling to termites. And that reminds me of one more , pesticide that was in general use, ATLAS, an anti-termite fluid used to saturate the frames of new houses while under construction. But in general Termites were control mainly by the use of Yardfowls, around the home which would listen, and proceed to scratch away at the earth , to extract the termites. Around most cane fields could be found a fence of pideon pea trees, which the termites would migrate to and eat, instead on the canes. A similar thing was done around homes, not so much with pea trees, but with crotons and other shrubs which the termite preferred to feast on, rather that the oil-filled pine that made up the house.
    Gardeners, Farmers and householders were very observant people , and in their course of work studied the habits of various pests and weeds and used this knowledge to control them.

  39. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    THANKS COLONEL BUGGY
    I REMEMBER SOME OF THESE THINGS BUT DIDNT KNOW THE REASON WHY

    QUESTION IS WHAT ON EARTH WENT WRONG?

  40. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    @GP
    QUESTION IS WHAT ON EARTH WENT WRONG?
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………
    What went wrong? By this time many sugar factories and bond houses were being made redundant in Barbados and the merchants of Bridgetown had to find alternative used for them. Bingo!! ..Warehouses. And that was the start of us importing everything that the American market,especially, had to offer. Plus the unions were demanding that workers in the plantation who weed the fields, ‘farming’ they called it, should be better paid. The government of the day also put a stop to the disgraceful practice of 3 year olds and upwards, being employed in the plantation fields full time to weed between the young canes and potatoes. The spraying of pesticides across the plantation fields required just a fraction of those people whom it would take to weed it.
    It was the same with the fishing boats. When I looked towards Bridgetown from the country early on mornings,there was a panorama of fishing boats with their white sails glistening in the morning sun,off Carlisle Bay . Then along came the Bridgetown merchants , and persuaded the fishermen that a Petter, Lister of Perkins diesel engine would be a better alternative. Today we are talking about clean alternative energy, which we turned our backs on , in order to make others rich.

  41. Green Monkey Avatar
    Green Monkey

    If you are one of those concerned about the prevalence of the poisonous pesticides used for pest control in agriculture today, there is one new enterprise in Barbados that should be supported by one in all. That is the new Caribbean Permaculture Research Institute at Graeme Hall. They have a Permaculture certification course running on weekends starting in a few days on Sat, Oct 18th. Permaculture (originally developed in Australia and now successfully replicated in other locations around the world) is a method of working with nature to build up the health and fertility of soil and to grow food in a sustainable manner. In permaculture natural methods of pest control are incorporated that avoid the necessity of applying chemical poisons to the food we eat.

    You can get some more info and contact them through their web site: http://www.cpribarbados.com/about

  42. David Avatar
    David

    The upside is that McBride’s sales are up!

    http://www.barbadostoday.bb/2014/10/14/insecticide-sales-up-reports-mcbride/

  43. Green Monkey Avatar
    Green Monkey

    Did you all notice the announcement in the Advocate and Nation not too long ago about meetings being held to teach farmers about safety issues surrounding the introduction of Genetically Modified seeds to Barbados? I believe these meeting were being organized by the ministry of agriculture and the message was like it or not, whether we want them or not, GM crops are coming to Barbados.

    Well so far the GM crops that are in widespread use around the world are mostly all designed to increase the plants’ resistance to Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup, and to grow them successfully requires you to apply liberal doses of Roundup. Now that the weeds in the “developed” countries have grown resistant to Roundup and have become what they call “superweeds” against which Roundup is as useless as spit, rather than rethinking this whole premise of the wisdom of GM/Chemical based, mono-crop agriculture, they are just now bringing out new GM seeds with a built in resistance to 24D, another horrible chemical substance which was part of the defoliant Agent Orange, the chemical weapon that the US sprayed on Vietnamese country side leaving thousands of their own personnel and local Vietnamese to suffer the health consequences.

    Biotechnology and the Agrarian Crisis: Streams of Profit, GMO and Rivers of Poison

    Handing over agriculture to Big Agritech concerns is akin to letting the foxes guard the hen house. What do they care if they wreck the environment or human health with their chemical inputs? The more chemicals applied to crops, the better. It’s good for business. The bottom line is increased product sales.

    What is good for business however is not good for agriculture. Big Agritech cannot provide genuine solutions to the agrarian problems it has created with its ‘Green Revolution’. For example, agriculture in India’s Punjab state (agritech’s original poster boy of the ‘Green Revolution’) is facing an inevitable crisis, in terms of pesticide use causing cancer, falling crop yields and groundwater depletion [1]. The model it has adopted is unsustainable. But this is a global phenomenon, as indicated by what is also happening in Argentina and the deleterious health impacts of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the ever-increasing, widespread and uncontrolled use of toxic chemical inputs [2]. What Big Agritech cannot get away with in places like Europe, it does so elsewhere.

    snip

    Ramon J Seidler is a former Senior Scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development. In a recent article, he writes that chemical companies that historically have produced DDT, PCBs, bovine growth hormone, Agent Orange, glyphosate products and, more recently, neonicotinoids have inserted themselves squarely into the seed crop production component of the world’s food supplies.

    He argues:

    “These corporations have a clear conflict of interest when it comes to reducing the numbers and concentrations of chemicals on crops, because any such reduction has an immediate impact on their financial bottom line. There is also a clear conflict of interest when it comes to altering farm management to avoid insect and weed resistance if it results in using fewer chemicals. As University of Nebraska entomologist Lance Meinke says, “economics are driving everything.” [3]

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/biotechnology-and-the-agrarian-crisis-streams-of-profit-gmo-and-rivers-of-poison/5404013

  44. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    In a recent article, he writes that chemical companies that historically have produced DDT, PCBs,.
    ……………………………………………………………………………………..
    What ever happened to the PCB carrying components made redundant over the years by BWA and BL&P?

  45. Green Monkey Avatar
    Green Monkey

    Pachamama wrote:

    People still keep looking to regulators. The problem with them is that they are generally captured by the industry they are supposed to be overseeing.

    It’s called the “revolving door” where the same personnel switch back and forth, sometimes multiple times, between working for a government’s regulatory body to regulate the agro-chem-GMO, poison producing industries and their products and then leave government service to go work for one of the same agro-chem-GMO, poison producing industries they used to regulate and vice versa.

    1. EPA approves new 2,4-D herbicide blend, paving way for controversial GE crops

    Center for Food Safety (CFS) today condemned the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to approve Dow Chemical’s Enlist Duo herbicide, a new blend of 2,4-D and glyphosate intended for use on Dow’s patented 2,4-D resistant (Enlist) genetically engineered corn and soybeans. EPA’s approval was the final hurdle for the heavily criticized new crop system and paves the way for commercialization and planting.

    “EPA has turned its back on those it purports to protect – the American people and our environment,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director for Center for Food Safety. “In the wake of our government’s abdication of its responsibilities, Center for Food Safety will pursue all available legal options to stop the commercialization of these dangerous crops.”

    2,4-D, produced by Dow Chemical, was a component of “Agent Orange”, the toxic defoliant used in Vietnam. It is the 7th largest source of dioxins in the U.S. 2,4-D and other herbicides of its class have been independently associated with deadly immune system cancers, Parkinson’s disease, endocrine disruption, and reproductive problems, with children at particular risk. EPA’s assessment of Enlist Duo failed to correctly account for exposure in children, one of numerous flaws in their analysis.

    snip

    Dow Chemical has presented 2,4-D resistant crops as a quick fix to the epidemic of glyphosate-resistant weeds generated by massive use of glyphosate herbicide with first-generation GE crops from Monsanto, known as Roundup Ready. However, even USDA has acknowledged that the Enlist crop system will foster more weed resistance, a view held by many in the weed science community. In fact, a peer-reviewed study published in the prestigious journal Bioscience in 2012 concludes that these new GE crops will trigger still more intractable weeds resistant to both glyphosate and 2,4-D.

    http://gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2014/15704-epa-approves-new-2-4-d-herbicide-blend-paving-way-for-controversial-gm-crops

  46. David Avatar
    David

    Then what follows (logically) is that to rail against the system is an exercise in futility.

  47. Green Monkey Avatar
    Green Monkey

    David wrote:
    Then what follows (logically) is that to rail against the system is an exercise in futility.

    Pretty much so, unless the railings by the likes of Pachama, myself and others wakes people up to the perils of inaction as the increasing monopolization of the world’s food supply chain from by a few soulless and conscienceless corporations (who by law must have as their prime interest maximizing shareholder profits above all else) continues apace. Then people might see the absolute necessity of telling these parasitical, monopolizing, psychopathic corporations where to get off and to start making it a priority to use their buying power to support more sustainable forms of agriculture and food production.

    Monsanto and the FDA: Two crime families working a trillion-dollar hustle

    By John Rappoport

    snip

    When you cut through the verbiage that surrounded the introduction of GMO food into America, you arrive at two key statements. One from Monsanto and one from the FDA, the agency responsible for overseeing, licensing, and certifying new food varieties as safe.

    Quoted in the New York Times Magazine (October 25, 1998, “Playing God in the Garden”), Philip Angell, Monsanto’s director of corporate communications, famously stated: “Monsanto shouldn’t have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA’s job.”

    From the Federal Register, Volume 57, No.104, “Statement of [FDA] Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties,” here is what the FDA had to say on this matter:“Ultimately, it is the food producer who is responsible for assuring safety.”

    The direct and irreconcilable clash of these two statements is no accident. It’s not a sign of incompetence or sloppy work or a mistake or a miscommunication. It’s a clear signal that the fix was in.

    Passing the buck back and forth was the chilling and arrogant strategy through which Pandora’s box was pried opened and GMO food was let into the US food supply.

    http://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/monsanto-and-the-fda-2-crime-families-working-a-trillion-dollar-hustle/

  48. David Avatar
    David

    On a supporting note, today is World Food Day and Minister David Estwick’s message can be found on page 43 of the Znation newspaper. It exposs our national priorities.

  49. David Avatar
    David

    Ant to think this is Week 9 about to statrtAmazing!

    Odour still at Grazettes

    Sat, November 01, 2014 – 12:08 AM

    More than a month after a fogging programme caused problems at Grazettes Primary School, complaints of the bothersome smell are persisting.

    Because of this, the school’s close to 300 students will continue to attend classes in two Seventh-Day Adventist churches for at least another week.

    Principal Etwyn Bynoe and a number of teachers yesterday visited the Grazettes Primary building, where a long-running cleaning programme was continuing.

    Well-placed sources reported that some teachers complained of a lingering smell on the ground floor of the chemicals used in the fogging, even though the principal’s office was given a clean bill of health.

    President of the Barbados Union of Teachers, Pedro Shepherd, told the SATURDAY SUN the union would be visiting Grazettes Primary next week “to conduct our own assessment of conditions there”. (TY)

    Please read the full story in today’s SATURDAY SUN, or in the eNATION edition.

  50. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    Someone please tell me that my information is incorrect. One of my informants called to say that the teachers claim to be affected by the residual odour in the building when required to teach but they had no problem conducting their Teachers’ Professional Day activities in the same building. Say it isn’t so.

    >

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